Chapter 102: “Honey? Darling? Baby?”
The words “Gravekeeper” disappeared from his hand.
An Wujiu initially thought this was one of the positions among the Twelve Priests, but the next moment, a holy voice appeared in his mind, only slightly more ethereal than usual, clearly only audible to him.
[The Gravekeeper is one of the four among the Twelve Priests. Congratulations on acquiring the identity of the Gravekeeper. Please keep this confidential. The four cultists know each other’s identities and work together, so you need to protect yourself and identify the cultists and ordinary priests through observation and speech to align with them.
Your function is to learn whether the player who was sacrificed by vote the previous day was good or evil each night, starting from the second night, but you cannot verify the deceased’s specific identity.]
This ability…
An Wujiu couldn’t immediately determine whether it was good or bad, only feeling that it wasn’t a very strong ability. It couldn’t actively attack or protect itself, nor could it prove its identity. If the person sacrificed the previous day was good, he could only reveal it during the day, which had a time delay. Moreover, revealing it would certainly expose his identity.
As the holy voice said, this card requires self-protection and even guarding against being impersonated by cultists, who could then push him out.
While listening, An Wujiu glanced at the others, sensing that they were also listening to the sacred voice describing their identities and abilities.
[Now, let me introduce the other identities. There are four priests: Seer, Witch, Hunter, and Gravekeeper.
The seer can inspect one player each night to determine if they are good or evil.
The Witch has one vial of poison and one antidote. The witch can learn the identity of the deceased player that night and choose whether to use the antidote to save them or use the poison on any living player. The witch cannot save themselves, and after using the antidote, they cannot know who died that night. However, if they die, they can be informed.
The Hunter can use their skill to shoot and kill a player if they are voted out during the day or killed by cultists at night, but cannot use the skill if killed by the Witch’s poison.
Besides the priests, there are three cultist wolves and one Gargoyle among the Twelve Priests.
The three cultist wolves can meet each other during the Blood Moon night and jointly choose to kill any player in the game. They have no special markings and are indistinguishable from ordinary priests.
The Gargoyle is a special cultist wolf. It does not meet with the other three cultist wolves at night, meaning the wolves do not know who the Gargoyle is.
The Gargoyle can inspect any player at night to learn their specific identity, such as “Witch” or “Civilian”. Note that the Gargoyle does not have the ability to kill until all other cultist wolves are dead. Once all teammates are dead, the Gargoyle can kill with a knife.
Among the Twelve Priests, there are also four civilians. Civilians have no special skills and can discuss with other players during the morning sacrifice to select the main priest of the day, who will lead the vote to sacrifice a player.
The identity explanations are complete.
During the day, all surviving players participate in the morning sacrifice vote to select a sacrifice. The remaining time can be freely used.
At night, cultists kill, and the other eight priests offer their eyes in exchange for divine power, so all good people lose their sight at night and cannot see the wolves’ actions but can move freely. Priests are the same, but priests can use their skills through interactions with the sacred voice. The Grave Keeper can follow the divine guidance to the sacrifice’s tomb.
If all cultist wolves die first, the good people win. If the wolves kill or sacrifice all priests or all civilians, the cultists win.
The winning side will have all the survivors, with previously dead players resurrected. The losing side’s dead players will be declared dead after the game ends, and the surviving players on the losing side will be eliminated but not die.
These are the main rules of the Blood Moon Sacrifice. Detailed rules will appear as players trigger them.]
After listening to the general rules, An Wujiu roughly understood the game’s mechanism.
Shen Ti walked over to him, habitually putting his arm around his shoulder, “You look very serious.”
An Wujiu said in a low voice, “I’m just thinking, what if we’re placed on different teams in this team match?”
Not only was it a dark team with unclear situations, but it was also one where people died one after another. It was very likely he would die on the first night or survive only to watch one of his companions be sacrificed and killed.
These were situations beyond his control.
The worst…
“The worst is that we are on different teams, as enemies.” Shen Ti laughed, his tone terrifyingly light, “The rules don’t allow us to share identities. If you think we’re not on the same side, find a way to kill me or sacrifice me.”
He laughed carelessly, seemingly not caring about winning or losing, not caring about his life or death.
“As long as you win.” Shen Ti said it nonchalantly, with a hint of a smile in his voice.
After he finished, he didn’t hear a response from An Wujiu. An Wujiu seemed very silent, not saying a word.
Although he was often a quiet person, Shen Ti immediately sensed something was wrong and was about to say more when An Wujiu suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling him through the stone corridor, randomly finding a room, opening the door, and dragging him in without a word.
Shen Ti, momentarily disoriented, thought to close the door for safety, but the next second, he was pinned against the door by An Wujiu.
The blood-red moonlight outside the window cast through a corner of the lattice, shining on An Wujiu’s side neck. The oil lamp hanging by the door illuminated An Wujiu’s face.
He was even more serious than before, still holding Shen Ti’s wrist.
Shen Ti didn’t know what he had said wrong. He used to say the wrong things often, but now he thought he had gotten the hang of it.
“I…”
“Do you think this would make me happy?” An Wujiu interrupted him.
Shen Ti frowned.
An Wujiu’s usually expressionless face showed a rare hint of undisguisable emotion. “Even if we are on different teams, do I need you to sacrifice for me? Do you think I would be happy if you were killed?”
His pupils reflected two warm yellow lights from the lamps, bright and captivating.
Shen Ti couldn’t help but lower his head, kiss his eyes, then hug his waist, pressing his forehead against An Wujiu’s.
“I just want you to win, nothing else.”
An Wujiu was initially a bit angry. When he heard Shen Ti so unconcernedly talk about sacrificing himself as a joke for An Wujiu to win, he couldn’t accept it at all.
“Don’t be mad at me, okay?” Shen Ti kissed the bridge of his nose, then tilted his head and pecked An Wujiu on the lips. “I said the wrong thing.”
An Wujiu really couldn’t bear to be angry. Hearing this, he couldn’t bear it even more.
Shen Ti was not at fault. An Wujiu thought, perhaps few people would be willing to sacrifice for him.
An Wujiu let go of his hand, lowered his eyes, and finally raised his hand to touch Shen Ti’s cheek. “No, I just got emotional for a moment.”
In the dim room, Shen Ti could feel the warmth coming from An Wujiu. This made him feel very at ease. An Wujiu was indeed a strange person. No one else in the altar cared about others’ life or death, only An Wujiu demanded that he should not seek death and refused to let him speak any self-destructive words.
He had used the wrong way to love An Wujiu.
Shen Ti hugged An Wujiu with both arms, lowered his head, and rested on An Wujiu’s shoulder, still teasing with his words.
“You get emotional too.”
His voice was muffled, making the outside wind and snow seem heavy.
“Of course I do. I’m human too.” An Wujiu hugged his back, his fingers touching the slightly protruding spine when Shen Ti bent slightly, giving him a sense of reality.
“Shen Ti, you are much more ruthless than I am.”
Shen Ti thought so himself.
Except for An Wujiu’s life, he didn’t really care about anyone else’s, including his own.
Suddenly, he heard An Wujiu say, “I have already lost a lot, and I don’t even remember losing it. When I recall, it’s already the second time.”
He knew Shen Ti might not understand; many people couldn’t.
An Wujiu seemed confident and in control, but he was actually like a high-rise building with its foundation gradually hollowed out, precarious, and could collapse tomorrow or the day after.
Shen Ti was one of the few pillars supporting his foundation.
“I can’t lose you.”
At this moment, Shen Ti seemed to hear his own heartbeat, pounding, something he had never felt before.
He realized that he was indeed that important, that his life was indeed tied to An Wujiu’s heart.
“Okay.”
Shen Ti tilted his head, his lips touching An Wujiu’s warm neck.
“I’ll listen to you.”
He realized he wasn’t enough; he hadn’t learned enough.
Sometimes facing An Wujiu seemed instinctual, but other times he realized he was actually at a loss for words. Like an alien trying to fit into Earth, no matter how much he learned, he would still slip up.
But Shen Ti thought, no matter what, they were connected in spirit, not needing to touch fingers. From the first moment he saw An Wujiu, he could understand him.
An Wujiu was destined to be his.
The two leaned on each other quietly for a while, like two trees entwined together, trying to grow for each other in a place lacking sunlight. Gradually, the branches at the top interwove, and the roots underground became entangled.
Until An Wujiu heard new footsteps, suddenly becoming alert, slightly shifting their embrace.
The newcomers sounded like Toudou Sakura and Matsubara Mori.
“Huh? What number is on this door?”
“This number looks… like 7. It should be Mr. Shen’s room.”
“Ah, so this is Shen Ti’s room, right? Then I’m number three, you’re number twelve, you should be at the far end, my room might be in the left corridor.”
“Then, Miss Toudou, let me take you to your room first.”
“Really? Thank you, you’re such a gentleman.”
Hearing the two walk away, Shen Ti chuckled, “You’re pretty good at picking rooms, not even looking at the number, just barging in and it turns out to be my room, truly deserving to be my…”
“Don’t say anything foolish.” An Wujiu had already predicted what he was about to say and stopped him.
It wasn’t that he disliked it, he just felt it was too embarrassing.
“Don’t you like it? I see many people like that title. Or what should I call you?” Shen Ti hugged An Wujiu’s waist, stepping back step by step. “Honey? Darling? Baby?”
“You really are…” An Wujiu was about to scold him when suddenly he couldn’t see anything, as if someone had abruptly turned off the lights, plunging him into endless darkness.
But something was wrong—he couldn’t even see the blood moon’s red light.
An Wujiu thought of the “surrendering of eyes” mentioned earlier in the altar and understood.
He really had lost his sight.
Yet before him was a red line, almost like an arrow, pointing towards the door they had been facing earlier.
Was this the so-called guide line to the tomb for the Gravekeeper?
Shen Ti didn’t give him any time to ponder further. His hand was still around An Wujiu’s waist, pushing him back step by step. “What exactly am I?”
As he retreated, An Wujiu’s legs unexpectedly hit the bed. Distracted, he was pressed onto the bed by Shen Ti.
“Nothing.”
“Really?”
Having lost his sight completely, An Wujiu could only feel Shen Ti’s hands undoing the cloak tied at his neck. The collar of his robe was wide, and when it touched the cold air and was brushed by Shen Ti’s fingers, it felt like a thin layer of electricity.
Perhaps because he couldn’t see anything at this moment, his hearing and touch became increasingly acute. Shen Ti’s breathing was right in front of him, mixed with the howling wind and snow outside the window.
Shen Ti must be right in front of his face. He could even feel their lips almost touching, yet not quite.
“It’s snowing heavily outside, seems really cold.”
Shen Ti used the most suggestive posture to say the most ordinary words, his fingertips writing his name on An Wujiu’s exposed collarbone.
“Why don’t you stay tonight? A bed for two should be warmer.”
“My body temperature is low, I can’t be your heater.”
An Wujiu’s words didn’t match his actions, as his fingers involuntarily grasped the bedsheet, as if trying to hold onto something in the floating darkness.
“Just lying down won’t do, doing something will warm us up, right?”
Shen Ti’s fingers threaded through An Wujiu’s hair, lightly grazing his earlobe, teasing him without restraint.
An Wujiu’s heart was racing. He wondered why this person could be so at ease, as if he didn’t need his eyes at all.
Or maybe he was indeed a wolf, a cultist.
“One of us might die tomorrow… don’t you think that’s a waste?” Shen Ti coiled around An Wujiu’s heart like a snake, drawing out the buried desires.
“Will we?” An Wujiu didn’t want to be controlled like this, so he tried to take the initiative, laughing softly. “What if you are the cultist?”
Shen Ti laughed. Only now, after losing his sight, did An Wujiu realize that Shen Ti’s laughter had a hint of wickedness. If he could see now, Shen Ti’s handsome face illuminated by the blood moon’s crimson light would probably look like that of a madman.
“Wouldn’t that be better?”
“Enjoy the night first, then go kill. How thrilling.”
